


I won't ever stop looking for you

by seratonation



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies)
Genre: Amnesia, Diners, Gen, M/M, The Great Bucky Barnes Search
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-11
Updated: 2014-05-11
Packaged: 2018-01-24 08:26:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1598240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seratonation/pseuds/seratonation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The trail for Bucky goes cold somewhere in the midwest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I won't ever stop looking for you

**Author's Note:**

> Based on [this photoset](http://maywestaylost.tumblr.com/post/85305189799/seratonation-featheredschist) on tumblr. 
> 
> Title from Rollercoaster by The Republic Tigers.
> 
> Shippy if you want it to be, but nothing explicit (yet?)

They’ve been up for so long that they bypassed breakfast and were heading into lunch territory. The sun was hot enough to burn, and they were in the middle of nowhere. 

The trail had gone cold a few miles back, at an intersection that was just big enough to call a town. This diner was the first sign of civilization they had seen since they started driving and Sam had insisted they stop. 

“We need to rest, to eat,” he said, “we’re running on fumes.”

Steve wanted to object, but he was tired, and Sam was probably worse. He turned the car around and parked at the diner. There were only a handful of cars outside, but the place looked inviting. Sam was about to go in when he noticed Steve wasn't behind him. 

“You coming?” he asked.

“Yeah, give me a minute,” he said, pointing at an old, dusty phone booth at the edge of the parking lot.

“You know we have cell phones right?” 

Steve smiled. “I won’t take long.”

“Alright,” Sam said, shrugging and leaving Steve outside. 

Steve walked to the phone booth and took out his cell phone, looking up a text messaged, then picked up the phone in the booth. He dialled and waited. 

“Yeah?” Natasha’s voice came across, surprisingly clear despite the state of the phone. 

“The trail went dead,” he said, trying not to sound too dejected. 

“Are you done pulling at that thread?” she asked. He could hear her tapping at a computer, tracking his whereabouts. 

He sighed. “No,” he said, “did you get anything?” 

“Maybe,” she said, “I’ll let you know in a few hours.”

“Okay, good,” he said, “we’ll talk then.”

“Okay,” she said, “and Steve, have a milkshake for me will you?” 

He smiled. “Sure.”

“And a cheeseburger.”

At this he laughed. “I’ll throw in some fries too, okay?” 

“Good decision,” she said, “gotta go!”

And she hung up. Her number always changed. She sent him the new one every time, and he deleted it once he’s called her on it, but he was almost certain he knew where she was. 

He stumbled into the diner and looked around for Sam. He found him sitting in one of the booths by the window. 

“How’s Natasha?” he asked, once Steve slid into the opposite side.

“Good,” he said, “she sounds happy.”

Sam smiled. “That’s good,” he said, “now, I don’t want you to freak out but you need to slowly turn around and look at the guy behind the bar.”

Steve did as he’s told. Slowly, he turned around until his eyes land on the man and he has to stop himself from rushing over there. 

“Steve?” Sam’s voice came from a distance, “Steve, let go of the table.”

Steve turned back to Sam, and then looked down at where his hand had left an imprint in the plastic. He had to work a little harder at unclenching his jaw but finally he’s able to talk. 

“Does he- did he?” 

“He didn’t recognise me,” he said, “I sat right at the bar and nothing, but I’m not you, maybe he never got a clear look at my face. How did you wanna approach this?” 

“We have to-” he stopped and shook his head, “quietly, we have to research, see what he knows, what he remembers.”

“Cool,” he said, “in that case, let’s eat.” He waved at Bucky and he came over. 

His hair was tied back, and he was clean shaven. He was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, his name tag declared he was ‘Jim’. The metal arm gleamed. 

“You folks ready to order?” he asked. Steve couldn't stop staring. 

The metal arm flexed, the order pad in his hand crinkling slightly. 

“We’ll have some bacon and eggs,” Sam said, directing Bucky’s attention to him, “and some of your strongest coffee.”

“Actually,” Steve said, finally making his vocal cords work, “I’ll have a milkshake, and a cheeseburger with fries.”

He wrote them all down and walked away with a tight smile and a nod. 

“Nothing,” Sam said.

“I don’t believe it,” Steve said.

“Look, I know it’s hard-”

“No I mean, he’s lying,” Steve said, and got up.

Sam quickly followed and was in time to see Steve take him down, just outside the kitchen door at the side of the building. 

“How did you find me?” Bucky said from under Steve, struggling until Steve was firmly sitting on his stomach.

“I went looking!” 

“Why?” 

“Because I’m with you!” Steve said, “Don’t you get it, don’t you understand what that means?” 

“You should leave,” he said, “I’m not him, I’m not that person any more.”

“You think I care about that?” 

“You should!” he said, and heaved Steve off him. He took off at a run towards the buildings in the distance, presumably the next town over. 

“You can’t run forever!” he yelled after him, and was about to start running when Sam called his name. He turned around, ready for a fight but Sam was just standing there. 

“Let him go,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets, “if he’s not ready to come home, you can’t drag him there.”

Steve deflated. “So all of this goes to waste?”

“No,” Sam said, “now he knows, and when he’s ready, he’ll come looking for _you_.”

When Steve didn't respond, Sam clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on,” he said, “lunch is on me, then we can either drive home, or ask one of your friends to pick us up.”

They ended up having lunch. The owner, Sasha, turned out did recognise him, and promised to give Jimbo the keys herself.

“What can you tell us about him?” 

“Good kid,” she said, “quiet, hard working, that prosthetic is amazing though, didn’t think they made them like that, he gets some funny looks for it but he doesn't seem to mind. He looks kinda familiar though, don’t you think?”

Steve smiled. “I knew him.”

Sasha looked intrigued but didn’t ask any questions. She did, however, get Steve to sign her comic book, and when they went outside, Natasha was there. 

“That was fast,” he said.

“I got a lift,” she replied, “Stark says hi.”

“Tony Stark,” Sam said, “we’re in Tony Stark’s car.”

“You alright back there?” She asked, looking at him in the rear view mirror. 

“Yeah,” he said, “but sometimes I think I’m passed out by the lake and this is all a dream.”

“Did you want to meet him?” 

“Tony Stark?” he asked, “Hell yeah! I need him to look at some wing schematics for me.”

Steve smiled, despite himself. Sam was right, he can’t drag Bucky home if he didn’t want to go, but now Bucky, or Jim, or whatever he wants to be called, knows there’s someone out there, waiting to welcome him home.

**Author's Note:**

> There will probably be one or two more chapters after this.


End file.
